Today I, Uranus, was one of the first to see the trailer for the new film Dmitry Shadrin "Love by reference". This director, actor and producer kindly agreed to answer my questions regarding his career and the new film. Dmitry, good afternoon!
DS: Good afternoon!
I congratulate you on this event! I hope these expectations were justified. After all, the film was shot over the course of 3 years, accompanied by exclamations: “Well, when? When will you launch it? After all, it’s not a full meter anyway!” But since this film is my production work, in order to support young filmmakers, I decided to work thoroughly on a project in which not everything was as smooth as it seemed at first glance.
W: People unfamiliar with filming and microfilming do not know that filming even a 10-minute scene is difficult. However, before we talk about the difficulties in creating “Love by Help,” first, tell us about yourself. From the very beginning. Let's start with this question - what brought Dmitry Shadrin into the world of martial arts? Was little Dima afraid of Gopniks? Or did you decide to be like Jackie Chan and other heroes of that time?
Ideally (and I always do this) it’s very difficult to film even 10 seconds. But when you love your job, then all difficulties are not an obstacle. Although of course not without them in life.
Probably, so much has already been said about the beginning of my journey, how many times have I watched PIRATES OF THE XX CENTURY or REVENGE AND THE LAW with THE DISCO DANCER (I lost track of the latter somewhere around the 300th time), but I’ll say it briefly. Since I was 6 years old, I loved cinema so much that I once told myself: someday I will make it for big movie screens, realizing my thoughts, passions and capabilities. I loved Indian cinema, and since there were a lot of fights and stunt scenes, I liked it like any real boy! Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan and Mithun Chakraborty were some examples. Although why they were, they still exist now. Just like Nikolai Eremenko Jr., Talgat Nigmatullin and Andrei Rostotsky with Nikolai Karachentsov. Later, heroes arrived in the person of Jackie Chan, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme and, of course, Bruce Lee. I didn’t forget about Jean Paul Belmondo and Alain Delaunay with Pierre Richard. At that time I did not yet know the unique Buster Keaton (this is generally a separate chapter in my life). My choice became even more obvious.
Like many, I was engaged in BI, but I thought - what awaits me tomorrow? Which direction should I improve throughout my life? What do I want – lead a sports lifestyle or engage in cinema. Of course I chose the world of cinema.
All the actors listed above are of the “Action” genre, the dream of being like them excited the minds of the boys of those years, they often told me about this. But for now let’s focus on martial arts in life. Tell us, what specific sports did you engage in and what successes (ranks, belts, categories) did you achieve?
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I have nothing to say about my sporting achievements. Belts or ranks with ranks. Do you remember how in “Don’t be afraid, I’m with you,” Mukhtarbek Kantemirov’s hero said to Polad Bul Bul Ogly about Lev Durov’s hero: “He can do something.” This is about me. I'm more of an artist with a cinematic sports background. Although I can easily hold my own in sparring with a boxer or karateka. I hope they don't hurt me. Without ropes and a trampoline, I can hit Donnie Yen's crowns - a double roundhouse jump or a triple kick. Well, you know all these cool things he does. I'm delighted with these things! The same as from trickers' chips. They inspire me. In my films, I always show various clean falls, performing them myself, and also demonstrate kicks. I have a blast when I hit two, four or five punches without putting my foot down (by the way, in LOVE BY REFERENCE, I prepared something interesting. It even flashed from this episode in the trailer). This is kind of my cinematic trick. I believe that anyone who makes action films must have strong BI skills. And if he also has interesting “tricks” in his wardrobe, plus he looks 100% physically, like, say, a young Jackie Chan or Mark Dacascos, then this is generally aerobatics. Personally, I regularly go to the gym and keep myself in shape. How strong all this is is ultimately for the viewer to judge. And I am sure that this is important first of all - to find yourself where you want. And realize yourself to the fullest potential.
Still, be more specific about the martial arts you practiced and tell us where you got your knowledge of capoeira, which you and the actors demonstrate in your films and videos?
I still love boxing, karate and taekwondo. My sports wardrobe has turned into more of a collection of techniques from various gyms. For example, I spied something on trickers or Tony Jaa. I got it. And I train these things like crazy. I’m currently using something from Tai-Boran in my training. Although it is not taught in our city. But my colleague at the gym, with whom I have been with for 7 years now, super trainer Alexander Nason and his brother Dmitry, often tell me how to correctly use the Muay Thai technique. They are real pros in sports. Like Sergei Beloborodov. Our capoeira trainer. Which, I got sick probably 10 years ago, or even more. When the “kapa” appeared in our city, I organized a meeting between the stuntmen of my group and the pioneers of this Brazilian type in the person of the well-known Alexander Meller. And off we go... Here we go. In general, people play more in my life than the appearance of this or that BI. They help me a lot in life. I am very grateful to the Kyokushin karate expert, as well as CrossFit coach Evgeniy Voitanik, who always told me: “Shadrin, you’re high on Jackie Chan, but develop your own individual style. You are an individual and should go your own way.” Thanks to him, a lot has changed in my worldview to all these cinematic bang-bangs.
Have you had to use BI skills in real life, outside the film studio?
Good question! It happened a few times. And the last one was a couple of years ago. As a result, the right shoulder periodically flies out. I'm sorry this happened. Because no one benefited from it. Neither I nor my opponent. Bruce Lee once said, “The best fight is a fight without a fight.” It's a pity that I didn't heed this wise advice. Considering the fact that in the end my opponent did not understand anything in this life. And God be with him.
Dmitry, you once said that no one gets sick in our cinema, but you do? How many years have you been suffering from it and what are the results?
The very fact of “illness” is already counted as a positive result! Because when a person walks, he will definitely come to his destination. And the level of success depends on the quality of work done. My goal is not to make 20 films. Let me have one, but very good project. I work on a painting like an artist who constantly adds something, removes it, and adds it again. I will not sit down to edit (and I always edit my work MYSELF) of this or that scene until I have the appropriate mood for it. My goal is to make a film that you can not only watch with pleasure, but also remember about it in a few years, taking away something you need for yourself. And the most important thing is that I do what I love and realize myself honestly. A lot of people would like to live like me, but they can’t. Isn't this already worthy of admiration? When you and your dream go hand in hand - it's cool! This is worth living for. “Love by Help” is coming out this year, then the world will see it anyway “…Precipitation 100%" and "Stranger" It's unavoidable. Then there will be new projects. I have several interesting stories that I would like to film. And most importantly, every time the bar rises higher and higher. And accordingly, production is delayed. But believe me, it's worth it. As I said recently, it is not profitable to invest in my films, but it is profitable to buy them.
Tell us how your film studio was created.
It's simple. One day in the fall of 2000, I was training with a friend of a physical teacher in the gym and three schoolchildren came. That's where it all started. A month later, Jackie Chan arrived in Russia and I was finally confirmed in my decision to create a film group. The goal of which is to create stunt films in Russia and around the world. We trained, watched a lot of movies, tried to film. And in 2005 they launched their debut film “Squishy" That's how it all developed. People came and went, but the desire remained the same. And now we are preparing an adventure comedy film for European film festivals under the mysterious name “Love by reference".
What do you do for a living now, saving up a budget for future work?
The main source of income is advertising production and photography. But as for the budget, saving is not my prerogative. When I need to pour in financial sources, I just go ahead and do it. These are not Soviet times and there are dozens of ways to secure financing. But this is the skill of the producer, organizing a project with minimal investment. Of course, without losing the quality of the picture. This is the skill that real manufacturers should strive for. And this is my objective opinion, looking at our imperfect, but still amazing world!
Tell us briefly about your current team specifically at your film studio.
At the moment, the group has a small staff of stuntmen, cameramen, an editor, and a sound specialist. As for the actors, I don’t keep anyone on staff. Just like athletes, in principle. Previously it was difficult to find what you needed for a spectacular fighting game, but now the level of possibilities has grown so much that you can practically take anyone off the street, teaching him the necessary basics. The main thing is what’s in the head of the one who runs everything. This is where the result comes from.
Now I dare to ask a question about the main star of your films - Anna Rutsynskaya. Tell us how she came into your life and, accordingly, into your films.
In general, our meeting was arranged by someone from above. And... if we talk about whether there is love at first sight, then I will tell you - there is! We met on the social network VKontakte in one of the groups dedicated to photography. She posted an ad for the photo shoot she wanted. Of course, I couldn’t miss such a person. We did one of my best emotional photo sessions in my practice. A few days later, after giving her the pictures, we parted the same way we met. Surprisingly, the group through which we were found disappeared after a few days. It's as if she didn't exist. It was very strange.
We met only a year later. There were a lot of things that didn’t add up for me in the thriller “Stranger" Our director Vladimir Sedov said - Cherche La Femme, Mr. Shadrin. And so... I found her. We had the same views, passions, actions. She was one of those who said: “What needs to be done - and I will do it.” A true actress and an example for many! We shot a lot of great material, which is now sitting in the editing room, waiting in the wings. After the implementation of “Love by Help”, I will definitely take up it. By the way, we had the same problem in this project. We started filming, but something was missing. Something small, but very important. It seems like everything is there, but you realize that it’s becoming impossible for you to breathe. And again Anna came to the rescue. And everything fell into place. So, in a way, she is for me my talisman in creativity and life. Of course, our relationship is not easy, but I wish everyone such partners in life! And I hope that she will appear again in my photo and film projects.
Anna also appears in your new film. Tell us what difficulties stood in the way of creating “Love by Help” - so that novice directors understand this and are prepared for them.
There was only one difficulty during filming - lack of time to decide what and how we would like to do. Hence the period – more than 3 years. But the motive was very compelling. One day, a young film director Andrei Vishnev came and said: “I have a great story, but I have nothing else besides the Canon 550 camera!” I answered: “No need. I’ll produce and we’ll make an excellent film without a single ruble of investment. And then we’ll show it at foreign film festivals.” He was perplexed. How so? But everything turned out to be simple. An interesting plot and genre - an adventure eccentric comedy film (which has not been seen in Russia since the time of Leonid Gaidai) did their job. Everyone to whom Andrey and I told the idea was delighted. People offered their help free of charge. Also in this film I worked again with my team of stuntmen, with whom I once worked at “+20, -35 degrees, 100% Precipitation” several years ago. And it was great! For 41 days from August to October we filmed one of the humorous stunt scenes. We choreographed and trained ourselves right on the set. For it was an amazing sandy beach on the outskirts of the city right in front of the forest. One of the beautiful erotic scenes with Anna Rutsynskaya was filmed here - such a woman cannot leave anyone indifferent. And yes, we didn’t have time to finish filming some things and we filmed part of the erotic scene at the end of September. That is, Anya took off her coat and acted out the scene, and then, wrapping herself up, warmed up for several minutes!
We can only wish one thing for young directors - love what you do, and all difficulties will be overcome. It all depends on each director’s internal understanding of what he wants to see in the end. The main problem of our time is that everyone wants to do it quickly. But, as you know, well, it doesn’t happen quickly.
Trailer for the film "Love by Help"
Now for the trailer itself. To be honest, after watching it, little is clear - there will be no plot about anything, no genre affiliation - only a comedy is obvious for now. What is this film about and what genre is it, so that the viewer knows whether to laugh, cry or shout, “Ahh, now this is the one that really hit him in the head!”?
The obviousness of comedy is the main thing that we pursued with Andrey. He is a director and wanted more comedy, and I, as a producer, wanted to make my own adjustments. Look, in life there is a place for everything - action, comedy and drama with a thriller. This also applies to my know-how - Erotic scenes. One day they told me: “Write an erotic film.” Yes, this is not erotic! This is a normal adventure comedy. But who said there can't be erotica there? Bright, exciting and emotional! Of course in the context of the film. Why do they show shooting, fighting, dancing in all its glory, even cannibalism, but sex between a man and a woman is not? Why? Violence is acceptable, but one of the most harmless and amazing pleasures of humanity in all respects is taboo! Nonsense! But you need to distinguish between where the need is and where the art is.
The same nonsense that people need to explain - Oh, look, this is a comedy and you need to laugh here. But the drama, here you need to put on a gloomy face. It feels like people are clichéd idiots. But that's not true. Why has humanity advanced in technology but still requires genre definition? It doesn't require it. It's just a habit that doesn't change. But now I'm changing it. Through your vision and creativity. And it looks a little unusual. It's like rising prices. There is indignation for the first few days, and then everyone gets used to it. We can talk endlessly about this topic, but let’s return to the genre. This is a comedy (as has already been established) and I am sure that the viewer will figure out where to cry or laugh. But I will also say that we go to the movies for emotions. There is plenty of that in our picture. So the viewer will definitely not be bored. He just won't make it in time.
Are there plans to release this film - or is it a DVD and an Internet film?
Of course, realizing ourselves, we made a film for the viewer. But first we want to test this project at film festivals. Listen to reviews, chat with interesting people from the world of cinema. Because we will continue to work in cinema, making it even more diverse and accessible to the viewer. Personally, I see this film being sold to some distributors, and they will decide how the film will be shown. My prerogative is film production and its implementation. Next is another story.
Was Anya embarrassed to pose nude, knowing that thousands of people could see her?
The question of embarrassment arises only in one case - the professionalism of the author. If he is a master, then the actress also understands what the material will produce. And how many people will watch - one or a billion - this is a purely technical question. The main thing is the moment of trust. If there is no trust, then in most cases it turns out to be vulgar. But I don’t accept this, and my actresses know it. Yes! I can shoot from head to toe, from every angle imaginable. YES! It will take the viewer's breath away! But it won't go well. You need to understand and feel how to stage a fragment, shoot, edit and, of course, dub it. And women, like no one else, feel the energy of a man’s desire. Especially when it comes from sincere creative motives. Hence the complete lack of embarrassment.
Tell us about the fights in “Love by Order” - the approximate amount of action as a percentage of the total running time and how they were filmed.
Initially, there were no fights in the script, but since I am producing and I am interested in it, I still developed the line of the film so that the necessary scenes were simply necessary. If you wanted to remove the fight, then everything would fall apart. These are the kind of moves I like. Not just fighting for the sake of fighting. In addition, this scene provided a stormy surge of unpredictable emotions towards the denouement of the picture. With a running time of 25 minutes, there is a small chase at the beginning of the film, and towards the end there is a decent eccentric scene of 4 minutes. With a fully developed sequence of mise-en-scenes. We filmed it from August 25 to October 6 (my birthday). It’s a pity that due to some circumstances we started filming later than planned. And I had to give up a lot. It was already the height of autumn, but according to the film it was summer. But the action turned out to be entertaining and I don’t regret what happened in the end. And how can you regret it if you work with a team that interests you, with whom I worked partially on my favorite “...Precipitation 100%”, building each frame in a way that no one does in Russia (this is at least). Now I'm talking about myself as a creator because I acted and directed the entire summer action sequence in this film. Andrei was at that moment busy working on his thriller “Trinity,” and this was quite familiar to me. In general, after what you do in cinema (actor, author of ideas, production designer, cameraman, editor, action director, music and noise selector...) it’s also cool to produce. Especially when you have $0 in your pocket. With money, even you can be a producer, but try to attract interesting people and create a film without a single ruble. And so that the audience watches it, saying “Wow! Great!” – that’s over-the-top task number 1!
Personally, I liked the fight scenes in your films and your preparation personally. But in the construction of the rest of the timing, a certain non-standard and arthouse quality of what is happening is noticed, and this causes criticism for some incomprehensibility. What do you say to this? In a classic action movie, this is not very well received by the Russian audience.
I have always wanted to combine thought and action using a classic approach to business. And when two completely different elements collide, it sounds a little unusual to the viewer. But it’s great when the viewer can watch an interesting idea, classic shooting and lightning-fast editing. Personally, I always liked it and I always wanted to make such a movie. I am for people to think while having fun. We watched exciting events in a trick kaleidoscope, and not how a character looks at one point for 10 minutes without editing the film. And then, this is something new in Russian cinema. A kind of adventure Arthouse. Different from what was produced once and now.
Aren't you afraid that the film will not be accepted, and what will you do in this case?
I think that few people do not like adventure comedy films. The main viewer loves such emotional films. This is a truism with a formula - friendship, love, sex, jealousy and anger. But the most important thing is that I love him too. And this is the most important thing! So I will definitely continue to work in a similar vein, experimenting with genres - comedy, horror, action.
You said that you want to take "Love through the Help to festivals" for a ride. This sounds very bold and many will honestly say that this is some kind of joke and Shadrin has suffered again. I, the author of the article, had a relative who was making a film about her deceased son, a documentary feature film. The film turned out to be dark and quite interesting - but at festivals it is not noticed at all, and she spent many years making it. Are you sure that “Love by Help” will be able to “take on” a serious festival?
I really value life stories and respect those who make them. But... what is life? These are not only the gloomy colors of life, but also brightly positive ones. Which also have a place on the exhibition pedestal. Today someone dies, and tomorrow someone is born. And this is our interesting life. At any serious festival there is always a place for a good breath. Especially at a time when there is such a shortage of real comedies. Look how many authors there used to be - Gaidai, Ryazanov, Danelia, Surikova. And now there is not a single one worthy of standing on their level. So I have no doubts about the realization of the film. Speaking of your relative... she must have missed something in the cinematic creation of the picture that had to be respected. Or it’s just that her time hasn’t come yet. You need to be patient. And as you know, all good things always find their way out. It's inevitable.
How do you think a watchable B-action film can be made? For example, 8-10 things that will make your action movie watchable at least for once?
I will distribute the points according to the degree of importance for me.
- Perfect cinematography.
- Psychological and emotional, without a single empty frame, montage.
- Based on personal arousal from the situation, the script.
- Interesting staging of action and stunts.
- Bright, spectacular heroines and resourceful heroes.
- Acting.
- Melodious in the tone of emotions, musical arrangement.
- Depending on the plot - the erotic subtext of the desired characters.
And the last question to Dmitry - what are your creative plans? Are there any other scripts for short films, feature films and who would you like to collaborate with?
Of course, I have a large field ahead for creative and production work. I myself direct painstakingly and over a long period of time, so I am interested in promoting young talents, of which we have a lot in Russia. I am upset by what is happening now in Russian action cinema, and I hope that by helping young people, we can improve the current situation. We need to make bright and interesting films with those who are truly “sick” with their passion. Then the result will not be long in coming. If we talk about specific people, I would like to make a full-length adventure film “The Guy in the Hat” this summer in collaboration with Dmitry Fedorov and Sergei Morin, as well as his team. And what? It would be great! Here you are Uran, you write stories very well, and the well-known Ravenside writes music. The time has come for us to unite before our potential fades into old age. So that as the years pass, we don’t say that we could have lived this way or that way. And they said - Wow! And we did this??? However!!!
After “Love by Reference” I want to establish a tradition - inviting at least one famous actor to the project. So that he can pass on experience to young people. It is very important. Alexander Mikhailov, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, Roman Madyanov, Inna Churikova are still alive... Looking at where your favorite BI actors are filming, it sometimes becomes creepy. Invite Mark Dacascos, Cynthia Rothrock, to work with Van Damme. By the way, I still have a story for Jackie Chan and his son Jason. Great story about a newspaper publication!
At one time, Soviet-Indian films were made. Why don't they do this now? There is an idea to do an interesting joint project. I'm also writing a book called "Flying Without Wings." She talks about how simple it is to live the way you want, believe in your dreams and catch luck in life by observing people and signs.
Let's see how "Love by Help" goes. If everything is more than enough, then these actions will speed up the process of building an adventure film school in Nizhny Novgorod. But this is a subsequent stage of my activity and a slightly different story.
For a new, exciting interview!
Thank you very much for telling us without any problems not only about the production of your film, but also about how an ordinary person goes from a dreamer who has seen enough action films to a director and actor who actually does something. I wish you success on your creative path!
Thank you very much to your site for doing such a useful thing as introducing readers to the film world of BI, which is very multifaceted and interesting. And I, in turn, want to wish all positive creative people FAITH IN THEIR ACTIONS! Don't be afraid to show your thoughts and actions in what you love. And most importantly, never stop learning and analyzing! DO NOT be embarrassed to look ignorant about something. Everyone was once a nobody. Don't be afraid to make mistakes! After all, only through trial and error, as well as complete dedication, our dreams live, and do not exist, in this interesting and amazing world!
Thanks for the interview! Very interesting. I hope this will become a good tradition for the site. There are still many guys who are worth interviewing.
Based on the film, it will be interesting to watch. It reminded me of the work of Chiller Video Studio from the late 90s and early XNUMXs. And this, in general, is not bad.
DIV,
Thank you for reading. We must try to interview someone else. Do you have any more questions for Mr. Shadrin?
uranium,
URAN is great! Prepared good questions. I am sure that he will do many more useful things in this direction in the future. And most importantly, he does it very well!!!
You can also make a TRADITION from the creators in the form of -10 THINGS of watchability of the product. This is a trick! Everyone has their own opinion and, accordingly, has something to say.
As for the questions....yes. Ask any questions and I will definitely answer them.
jaidev,
Here are my "10 Things to Build At Least a One-Off Action Movie"
1) Called it an action movie - so let there be at least 45% action
2) Ban on twitching camera. The exception is where one of the heroes is hit on a pumpkin
3) Variety in action. Lots of high kicks are not allowed. Show me on the ground, BJJ, combat sambo, boxing, taekwondo - show everything. Show me your weapons too. No, you don't need a gun, unless it's like Wincott in Curfew 2.
4) Colorful villains, especially bosses. If one has a chain, the second is a swordsman, the third is a Thai (in style), the fourth is a flamethrower in armor - that’s good. Shove at least one ninja, people love ninjas, especially kids. Don't forget to give the final boss more time to fight.
5) Write normal music that matches the action. Take an example from Viktor Dotsenko (Destroy 30), Albert Pyun and Paul Herzog and from the movie Mortal Kombat (1, 2 and the old Kung Lao series).
6) Show your tits. Nobody admits it - but everyone loves it. If you can't bare it, put it in the deep neckline
7) The hero does not always have to extinguish everyone only by force - cunning and ingenuity are needed, the viewer loves it
8) Make full use of the scenery. Unless, of course, you’re afraid and there are stuntmen.
9) Try to convey something to the viewer with a lesson. Take an example from MK or Bloodsport.
10) If you couldn’t save your film with the above, put it in the movie... a woman’s fight. I answer, if not the above, then at least this will help your film to be remembered in some way. There are a lot of examples, especially “MK2” and the films of Fred Olen Ray.
uranium,
all to the point) I’ll add 5 kopecks on my own:
1. The GG must miss blows. It's better to let it pass. It’s not vital when it doesn’t let you through
2. The GG should not fight alone against a bunch of people. Again not vital
3. Must be present - sunset over the sea or a beach a la Miami, beautiful girls and a carefree life. That is, the GG should not work or anything else. Nothing should distract you from fights with a bad hero))))
The interview is good. I liked the poster, but not the trailer (it seemed that the color correction ranged from a quite decent serial format, to films from the DMB era and amateur short films). Dima, stop with porn, let's fight! ;)
Kelpaso,
Didn't like the trailer because the color correction was wrong?
Speaking of color correction. The film itself, unlike the trailer, is three percent more contrasting. Although the trailer looks in soft colors. This is +. I tried to make a single tone throughout the film - everything merged. Did not like.
Where is this in an amateur short film, or even in a TV series? Especially in a fighting game. I haven't seen any of them. Every frame is like a picture. By light and color.
As for porn...I appreciated the joke.
But in terms of battles... there are some thoughts. For example, make a police film in the style of John Woo and Donnie Yen. Rapid shooting and hard punches to the face with killer falls. Completely change the style of film themes.
Here, by the way, yes...food for thought!
My first interview after all)
With initiative.))
barsug,
THX. Let's see what people say.